THE DESERT DOG BLOG: NOTES AND QUOTES FROM DETROIT

DETROIT – The Coyotes flew from Washington, D.C., to Detroit on Monday morning and then practiced at Joe Louis Arena in the afternoon.

Head Coach Dave Tippett, who gave the players the day off on Sunday, ran an intense on-ice session that lasted for about an hour.

“The last two games we’ve played against them they’ve really outworked us in both games, so we have to make sure that we are willing to show up and put the work in,” Tippett said.

Jimmy Howard has taken over as the Red Wings No. 1 goalie and is playing well. He has started

Howard

14 of Detroit’s last 15 games, including a 4-1 victory over the Coyotes on Jan. 2.

I asked Coyotes forward Scottie Upshall if it’s strange playing against the Red Wings and facing the newcomer in net instead of veteran Chris Osgood.

“I haven’t seen much of him (Howard), but if he’s the starting goalie for the Detroit Red Wings that must mean he’s playing some good hockey,” Upshall said. “For us, we need to get to him early and need to get lots of traffic on him. ”

For those of you who never have been to Joe Louis Arena, let me tell you, it’s a very unique building.

Part of the arena’s charm is that it feels, at least to me, as if it’s at least 50 years old. It’s not. It opened in 1979.

“The Joe,” as it's better known, is situated on the banks of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. Here's a little tidbit I was told on the team bus on Monday that you may be able to use to win a bet with your geographically-challenged friends: Detroit is the only major U.S. city that looks south to Canada.

ICE CHIPS...

• Coyotes forward Daniel Winnik, who is nursing an upper-body injury that has kept him out of the past two games, again skated with teammates on Monday. After practice, Tippett did not rule out Winnik’s return to the lineup on Tuesday.

• There are whispers that Red Wings defenseman Niklas Kronwall may return to the lineup Tuesday night after missing 30 games because of a sprained knee ligament. Despite playing just 21 games, Kronwall ranks first among Detroit’s defensemen in goals (five) and third in points (13).

• A reminder: Tuesday night’s game is being televised by the Versus network.

• I’d like to conclude this blog by inviting readers to send me any questions you have regarding the Coyotes. I will dedicate an upcoming blog to answering questions.